Making Seed Balls!

I wrote the following with several purposes, partly to send as an update letter to friends and family back East, and also thought I would share it here. There's another thread in this forum on Seed Balls, and thanks to DG member NatureWalker for the links to the website I got the recipe from! But I thought I would start another thread about the actual process, as I just did this today..... sorry, no pix though..... But lots of extra red clover seeds. ;-)

Making Seed Balls, Putting Them On The Ground!

After moving across the country to this very different climate, to a place with a stunningly gorgeous view of the Mountain but which is on blasted land -- the earlier dwelling having been burned and the soil now mostly fill dirt mixed with burned-house debris, broken glass, bits of this and that, fit only to grow sandspurs and foxtails and not much of that, I decided, yeah, I will garden again.

Assembling tools and learning about suppliers in this part of the world, on the spur of the moment one day I bought a pound of Red Clover seeds, packaged as cover crop. I figured I could strew them out there, next to the little patch I have worked to prepare as a garden for spring, strew them on that really sad looking dirt and maybe, just maybe, they will take hold.

I chose red clover because the word was it would germinate on bad soil, and that is what I've got. And not much to lose. I thought I would strew the seeds around during a period when the snow was melted off, and let the next snow water them in. Maybe toss a few grains of fertilizer down with them.....

Then I was reminded of seed balls! This is a method of putting seeds in little balls of clay and that way protecting them from the birds and from germinating too early..... so I searched out a recipe. The recipe calls for dry humus or compost, red clay, and seeds. What could be simpler?

I searched out a source of red clay powder online, from a soap supply place. Cheaper red clay might be found from a pottery supply, but by the time I thought of that the clay was ordered. I don't have any compost yet, but I did get a large bag of really rich potting soil in the fall, that has compost in it, so I figured that would do if I added a touch of organic fertilizer that has the microbes in there..... the idea being to create a little habitat or nursery situation for the seeds, so that once the balls start to dissolve in wet and warming weather, the seeds have everything they need to get a good start.

The clay arrived faster than I had hoped, and with everything assembled, today I made about 40 roughly penny-sized seed balls. I added a few other types of seeds to the clover, as it will be nice to see just a little variety -- worth a shot, I think. I added some Mexican Hat, Corn Poppy, and to have more color contrast, something that is labeled as White Cosmos, though it does not look like Cosmos seeds to me..... Hmm.

The potting soil was a bit moist, so I sifted out the required amount, and spread it in a pan on top of the heater to dry. This heater does not get hot on the surface, it was just the warmest place to put the pan inside here.

The recipe calls for mixing seeds and compost or humus first, then mixing in the clay, and then misting with water while stirring until it reaches a consistency where it will hold together. That last part sounded a bit tricky to me but in fact it was easy. Funnily enough, my employer phoned me while I was at that messy stage of the process, and I managed to get the phone, put the earbud in my ear and the phone in my pocket, and continue making mud while the boss lady talked.

The little balls need to dry out for about 24 hours, so they are now on a pizza pan on top of that heater, getting nice and dry. Tomorrow is supposed to be around 50 degrees and sunny and perfect for putting seed balls on the ground. Once they're out there I'll be asking for snow again.

The recipe:

1 and 1/4 cup red clay powder
3/4 cup dry humus or compost
1/4 cup seeds

Mix the compost with the seeds, then mix in the clay. Mist with water til the consistency of stiff dough, roll little balls in the palm of hands and set aside to dry. That's it, folks! I'll be in clover for real, come spring.

Oh, and I have enough clay left over to do another batch, so I'm thinking about what seeds to use next. I also have a huge amount of red clover seeds left....... Anyone want some?

Kyla

perfect for those with snow.

I have really been wanting to try this. I think it would be great to use up my last years seeds and fill a barren or empty lot or my natural area.

I have also been told of people putting seeds in water balloons and then throwing them out in different areas.

Hi ibartoo ~ it does seem a good way to attend to barren areas which is why I decided to experiment with it. And it really was quite easy. Now to see how well it actually works, eh? I have high hopes.

As for it requiring snow, I am not sure but I think it does not, really, though it surely does work well with snow. I believe the original technology was evolved by some indigenous cultures -- can't recall quite what I read about that, but it left me with the impression that this can work in many climates.

In an arid climate with no snow such as I imagine you are in, 2nd Chance, you would need to water them at some point for sure so I am not sure quite how the process would go.

ibartoo, I have not heard of the water balloon thing, but it would begin a different process because the water would be there right away and so I guess the plan would be to do this when you actually want the seeds to germinate..... The seed ball method also has the advantage of not leaving any debris around, it all works in to the soil, but balloons would not do that..... interesting.

You are right, the balloons may cause other problems. I definitely like the clay idea. I have even thought of making them with bakers clay because I couldn't find the terra cotta clay powder.
We have no snow, but it is very humid here so I think except in the driest months they would germinate.
Tell ya what, let me know your results and I will let you know mine. I think it would be a fun experiment.

Yes, let's definitely compare notes on this!

Regarding the clay, I believe either terra cotta or mined cosmetic clay are recommended because of mineral content. What is bakers clay? I'm not familiar with it. I guess if your compost component has enough "growth factor" type microbes in it, the clay is probably a non-issue as long as it is not treated with some chemical that could interfere with germination.

Kyla